Turner fends off Democratic challenge in Ohio

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) has defeated Democratic challenger Desiree Tims to return to the House for a fifth term.

The race for Ohio’s 10th Congressional District was rated “likely Republican” by Cook Political Report, but Tims mounted a stronger challenge than Turner has faced in recent years as the Democratic Party sought to flip the seat.

An internal poll from Tims’s campaign last month showed Turner with a 4-point lead, within the survey’s 5-point margin of error. Turner has won each of his previous races by double digits.

The tight race was marked by accusations of wrongdoing from both sides. After a September news report that Turner used $70,000 in campaign donations on meals and hotels since 2017, Tims filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Turner has dismissed the report as a “political hit job initiated by my opponent.”

Turner, meanwhile, filed an FEC complaint against Tims in September alleging she improperly took a salary from the Ohio Democratic Party to run for Congress and twice missed deadlines for filing financial disclosure reports. Tim has called the allegations “dirty political attacks.”

Turner, a vocal advocate for bulked up defense spending, is the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subpanel. He is seeking to replace retiring Rep. Mac Thornberry (Texas) as the top Republican for the full committee. Turner is also a member of the House Intelligence Committee.